The Veteran's cause of death, hepatocellular carcinoma with metastasis (liver cancer), is deemed to be caused by his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder due to alcohol abuse.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s alcohol abuse was primarily responsible for causing or contributing to his hereditary hemochromatosis and liver damage, which led to his hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Hereditary Hemochromatosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18102781
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 18102781.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by hepatocellular carcinoma, which the VA has determined to be a result of hepatitis C. The VA found that the Veteran's in-service and post-service alcohol abuse and intravenous drug use were secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected conditions or due to other causes. The issues include determining whether ischemic heart disease, COPD, hepatocellular carcinoma, hypertension, and acute renal failure are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional examinations are necessary to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions, and remanded several issues for further development.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to service, specifically due to exposure through the use of a jet injector gun for inoculation in service. As such, the claim for service connection for hepatitis C is granted.
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